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Today In Sports History

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) is tackled by Alabama defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (6) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013 in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

OCTOBER 3

1897 — Cap Anson closed out a remarkable 27-year career, which started in the National Association in 1871. He hit two home runs against St. Louis. He was 46, the oldest player to homer in the majors.

1946 — The St. Louis Cardinals won the National League pennant by beating the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-4 and sweeping the best-of-three playoff.

1942 — With a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Whirlaway becomes the first horse to amass more than $500,000 in lifetime earnings.

1947 — Floyd Bevens of the Yankees held the Dodgers hitless until two were out in the ninth, when pinch-hitter Cookie Lavagetto doubled in two runs for a 3-2 Brooklyn victory in the fourth game of the World Series.

1951 — Bobby Thomson hits a three-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the New York Giants a dramatic 5-4 playoff victory and the National League pennant.

1971 — Billie Jean King wins the Virginia Slims-Thunderbird tournament in Phoenix to become the first women tennis player to win $100,000 in one year.

1971 — Bob Robertson’s three home runs led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-4 trouncing of the San Francisco Giants, tying the National League playoffs at 1-1.

1973 — The formation of the World Football League is announced.

1974 — Frank Robinson signs a $175,000-a-year player-manager contract with the Cleveland Indians, making him the first black manager in major league history.

1990 — Cecil Fielder completes a startling season by homering for the 50th and 51st times as the Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 10-3. Fielder is the first American Leaguer since 1961 to hit 50 home runs.

1990 — Willie McGee became the first player to win a batting title in a league in which he didn’t finish the season. McGee, who had a .335 average when St. Louis traded him to Oakland on Aug. 28, won his second National League crown when Dave Magadan of the New York Mets failed to catch him on the season’s final day.

1993 — The Toronto Blue Jays become the first team in American League history to have teammates finish 1-2-3 in the batting race. John Olerud leads the league with a .363 batting average, Paul Molitor finishes at .332 and Roberto Alomar at .326.

1997 — Sixty-nine-year-old Hall of Famer Gordie Howe skates the first shift with the Detroit Vipers in their International Hockey League opener, becoming the only professional in his sport to compete in six decades.

1998 — Ricky Williams rushes for a school-record 350 yards and five touchdowns to set NCAA records with 65 career rushing touchdowns and career points by a non-kicker (394) as Texas defeats Iowa State 54-33.

2002 — Alex Cabrera hit his 55th home run, tying the Japanese record set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964 and matched by Tuffy Rhodes last year. Cabrera ended the season with 55 homers.

2004 — Roger Federer routs an injured Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-0 to capture the Thailand Open, joining John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg as the only players to win 12 straight ATP Tour finals in the last 25 years.

2008 — Candace Parker of Los Angeles Sparks receives the WNBA’s most valuable player award along with the rookie of the year awards, becoming the first player to win both. Parker, the top overall draft pick this year from Tennessee, averaged 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds.

2009 — Peyton Manning sets a franchise record by throwing for 300 or more yards in four consecutive games, going 31 of 41 for 353 yards in a 34-17 victory over Seattle. Manning connects with Reggie Wayne and joins Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in league history to throw 55 TD passes to two different receivers.

2010 — Angel McCoughtry scores 18 points and the United States wins gold at the women’s basketball world championship with an 89-69 victory over the Czech Republic.

2010 — Josh Scobee kicks a 59-yard field goal — the eighth-longest field goal in NFL history and longest in franchise history — as time expires to give Jacksonville a 31-28 victory over Indianapolis.

2012 — Miguel Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to achieve the batting Triple Crown in Detroit’s 1-0 victory over Kansas City. Cabrera went 0 for 2 with a strikeout, then left in the fourth inning of the regular-season finale. He finished with an American League-leading .330 average, 44 homers and 139 RBIs, becoming the 15th player to achieve the milestone and the first since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

2012 — Houston ended its National League tenure with a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The Astros set a franchise record for losses in a season, finishing 55-107, one more loss than last year. In the first series between 100-game losers in the major leagues since 1962, Bryan LaHair homered in the second and broke a 4-all tie in the ninth with a homer against Hector Ambriz. The Astros became the first team with 106 or more losses in consecutive seasons since the 1964-65 New York Mets.

2012 — Evan Longoria homered three times and Tampa Bay beat Baltimore 4-1, ending the Orioles’ bid to force a one-game tiebreaker for the AL East title.

2012 — Dan Johnson hit his first three homers of the season and Chicago added two more in the game as the White Sox routed the Indians 9-0. Johnson hit two two-run homers off David Huff.